Coming Back To Fitness – to plan or not to plan.

So I’ve mentioned on here that my fitness has kind of slid recently – and that I’ve been trying to get back into a routine. Well that’s failed…..I did all the things you’re supposed to do. Planned my workouts, wrote them in my diary like appointments – and then life got in the way. The type of life you can’t ignore, like people needing extra little bits of work (NOW) and someone you need to speak to for the thing that earns you money wanting to talk to you at the exact moment you planned to be at the gym – and yes, the sun coming out and deciding I’d rather be sitting in it with a beer than lifting weights inside.

I admit the feeling of abject failure was getting me down. And so I decided to change things. This week I decided to workout when I actually could – not when I thought I could in this mythical world of unicorns, fairies and time that’s my own. This is how it’s gone….

Saturday

Sunday

Unicorn World Plan: No exercise

Reality: I needed to do 40 minutes so I did them Sunday morning instead

Monday

Unicorn World Plan: Run to the gym at 4.30 – workout until 6pm

Reality: Went into hysteria, decided I would need to work late to get everything done. However I had to go to the post office – normally I walk to the one 15 minutes up the road – so, instead, I got the bus to the post office next to gym at 2pm and trained for 30 minutes, ran home. Finished all my work at 6.30pm anyway as loads of people replied while I was at the gym!

Tuesday

Unicorn World Plan: Oh god, oh god, oh god – I have to go to London at 10.20. I’ve got to do masses of work before I go. I can’t exercise….blah blah

Reality: Woke to sunny day – realised I only had to leave 10 minutes earlier to walk to the station than if I get the bus (due to having to be at the bus stop one bus before the one I need as they don’t always come). 40 minute fast walk to the station

Wednesday

Unicorn World Plan: Going to test exercise class in London

Reality: Got lost – but did 45 minute fast walk round Hyde Park while trying to work out where I was supposed to be. Did 10 minutes of exercise class (more on that another day!)

Thursday

Unicorn World Plan: Go the gym at 4.30 – workout till 6pm.

Reality: Interviewee can only speak to me at 4.15pm, boyfriend wishes to go out tonight so can’t go to the gym later (unless wish to go in sweaty kit).

Unicorn world plan 2: Go to gym at at 7.30am – fail again as panicking over piece due this morning.

Reality – file piece by 8am, have a cup of tea – go to gym from 9-10.30am – world didn’t end, I don’t seem to be unemployed and I still got all my to do list done and I’m typing a blog post

So, that’s actually quite a lot of exercise for someone who didn’t actually stick to her plan once! And wow, do I feel better for it. So what is the point of this post…..well I realised something. I realised that I don’t have a scheduled enough life to plan my workouts and, while this goes against every fibre of my control freak personality, if I’m going to get into a fitness routine I’ve got to let go of the fact that it’s going to be a routine…..that doesn’t mean it can’t be frequent, but it’s not going to be a routine……fingers crossed this is the epiphany that changes everything.

So, how do you schedule your workouts? With military precision or does being more freeform work for you?

My name is Helen. And what makes me happy is discovering the newest, strangest or most fun products, studies and ideas in the worlds of diet, fitness and health. I do this all day every day - and some of them make me go 'oooh' ...
* Oooh - I just learned something
* Oooh - that's bonkers
* Oooh - that's fun/innovative/fantastic.
Those are the things you'll find on this blog.